Now, increased chances of dying while driving during a severe auto accident can be added to the list.
In a severe motor vehicle crash, a moderately obese driver faces a 21 percent increased risk of death, while the morbidly obese face a 56 percent increased risk of not surviving, according to a study posted online ahead of print in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine.
Body mass factor
"The severity and patterns of crash injuries depend on a complex interaction of biomechanical factors, including deceleration velocity at impact, seat belt and air bag use, vehicle type and weight, and type of impact," says Dietrich Jehle, MD, professor of emergency medicine at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and at Erie County Medical Center and first author on the study.
"But the effect of body mass on crash outcome has not been previously evaluated in databases of adequate size or controlled for some of these confounding factors."Jehle and colleagues set out to investigate the relationship between driver body size and risk of crash-related fatality by analyzing data in the national Fatality Analysis Reporting System database (FARS).
According to FARS, to be included in the database a crash must involve "a vehicle traveling on a roadway customarily open to the public and must result in the death of an occupant of a vehicle or a non-motorist."
From the 168,049 drivers in severe motor vehicle crashes entered in the database, 155,584 met the criteria for inclusion in the analysis.
Drivers were grouped based on body mass index (BMI) into underweight, normal, overweight, slightly obese, moderately obese and morbidly obese categories.
Severe crashes between 2000 and 2005 that involved one or two vehicles (cars, pickups, SUVs or vans) were used in the analysis.
Fatalities considered related to the crash that occurred within 30 days of the crash, such as those resulting from surgery, also were included.
Statistically significant
In addition to the overall results, data analyzed by sex show that in the moderately and morbidly obese categories, both male and female drivers independently demonstrated a statistically significant increase in death when compared with normal-weight drivers.
So is the key to surviving a serious car crash to lose weight until one is in their appropriate BMI range? Not necessarily.
The study found normal weight and underweight people also less likely to survive a severe car crash.
Interestingly, the folks most likely to live through a major wreck are those carrying a few extra pounds, or "slightly overweight" people.
Safety recommendations
Based on these findings, Jehle offers several suggestions that could save lives. He recommends car manufacturers extend the range of adjustable seatbelts and thinks heavier people should consider buying vehicles that put more space between their bodies and the steering column.
Jehle also has another idea: fattening up crash test dummies.
"Crash test dummies have saved lives and provided invaluable data on how human bodies react to crashes, but they are designed to represent normal-weight individuals," said Jehle.
If the dummies were heavier, Jehle thinks they could help car manufacturers make new improvements in vehicle design that could decrease death rates among obese drivers, who currently make up one third of the population.
"The rate of obesity is continuing to rise, so is it imperative that car designs are modified to protect the obese population, and that crash tests are done using a full range of dummy sizes," said Jehle.
As for underweight and normal weight drivers, Jehle recommends airbags within seatbelts could potentially save their lives.
